A6ENT of CHA0S

1. Re-implement dual-wielding and the Brute arsenal (including vehicles, as well as add to it) 2. Implement a dual playlist system, with a social playlist and a competitive playlist (with no loadouts, ordinance, and having AAs and power weapons placed on map) 3. Various textures for forge pieces: UNSC metal, UNSC concrete, Forerunner metal, as well as new object (cylinders, spheres, domes, interactive objects) 4. Skulls scattered throughout Campaign, rather than just having them at start 5. Better textures to armor in multiplayer (avoid looking neon/ too bright) 6. Return the Hornet to multiplayer 7. New multiplayer mode, building off concept of Invasion/ GoW's OverRun Mode, in which one team defends an objective as SPARTANs while the other team attacks as various species of Covenant/Prometheans

Source?

@ForgeMonitor I completely agree. The only real differences should be determined by whether or not people want to play the game competitively, rather than play a variant of the game competitively. The way the "ranked" playlists are in Halo 4 seem to be treated like a third wheel, rather than an integral part of matchmaking. This may be due to the fact that (correct me if I'm wrong) the "competitive" aspect lost focus with the absence of dedicated playlists for it and of course, the lack of a proper ranking system.

@Tietokone, I think the Didact could unite them. After all, with the Elites viewing him as a living god, I doubt they would question him, even if he said to play nice with the Brutes. Also, while the cult's religion is based on what pre-Covenant beliefs, if the Prophets could change that with the force of a Forerunner Dreadnaught ship, I'm sure the Didact could do the same with his Promethean technology. The Brutes were quick to convert after their assimilation into the Covenant, so its possible for them to do the same. Sometimes, history repeats itself...

What about a sequel that ells the events of the first from the eyes of an Elite. Before you shoot down this idea, consider the following: playing as an Elite while fighting UNSC forces (including ODSTs), when suddenly the Brutes start killing your fellow Elites on order of the Prophets. You manage to escape, and run into Veronica Dare (ONI spook with the Recon helmet). You work together to survive and toward the end of the game, you sacrifice yourself to buy her time to escape. That's when she locks herself up in Data Hive until the Rookie finds her. Imagine the impact that your sacrifice would have on Dare, and if she appears in Halo 5 or 6, she can be a dynamic character that goes against ONI's plot to fuel the Elites' civil war and eradicate them in their weakened state. Perhaps she would be the one to contact Master Chief about it, leading to him going AWOL (as many speculate he has in the Halo 5 teaser), as well as possibly informing him about Guilty Spark surviving the battle at Installation 04B, and the list goes on. I think this kind of story would be best, as it can add to what is happening in the new trilogy.

Although no one will probably see this, I know there will be a Repopulate Halo Weekend on the weekend of Bungie Day (July 7, 2013). It is a Sunday, so show your support by playing as much as you can that weekend (that includes Friday night, if you can).

I personally liked Halo Wars, but feel that an FPS game would be the best take on this kind of project. Imagine 343i using the SABERed Engine (the one they used to make CEA) to bring back setting from Halo 1, 2, and ODST to modern graphic standards, as well as build off of it. They would obviously need to add more than what we've already traversed in the previous titles, but I'd like to see a few places I would recognize from the previous campaigns. Allow your Elite to have Active Camouflage, like in Halo 2, and see how he fares against the patrolling Brutes in New Mombasa. Then, maybe the big sacrifice would be to disengage Active Camo, get the Brutes' attention, and allow Dare to escape before succumbing to them (after the Elite and Dare have been working together for a time, of course).

I am aware the Elites and Brutes are still fighting. I only meant to clarify that the Brutes were given their power armor between Halo 2 and 3. However, I'm still not sure whether or not the Arbiter will return in Halo 5. I hope he does, if they can fit him into the story, but I'm sure we haven't seen the last of him in the games.

I think it would be interesting to tell the story of Halo: CE, Halo 2 and/or Halo 3:ODST from an Elite's perspective. An ideal character would be Rtas Vadam (the Shipmaster or to some, Splitjaw) or Thel Vadam (the Arbiter), but if ODST is included it would more than likely need to include another Elite, perhaps one that would die in that part of the game. Imagine playing as the Shipmaster trying to contain the Flood on the Covenant ship in CE, then skip ahead to his endeavors to fight the Flood and later, the Brutes, all the way up to when he is reunited with the Arbiter before the assault on Installation 05's control room. Then, having unlocked the story of how an Elite patrolling New Mombasa, killing UNSC forces (including ODSTs) until the Brutes in the area are given the order to kill the Elites, and then trying to survive (possibly with the help of a lone ODST or two). Eventually, this can end by the Elite sacrificing himself to buy the ODST(s) time to escape, thus giving a sense of sympathy and success. An interesting plot point would be that this ODST could be Veronica Dare before she locked herself up in Data Hive in the ODST campaign. That could certainly make for an interesting addition to the already unique and captivating story of Halo 3: ODST... Now that I reflect on that idea... It would be interesting to see how such a sacrifice would affect Dare along the lines of her opinions toward the Elites. Her being an ONI "spook" means that she may be involved in the plot to fuel the Elite civil war by giving the Storm Covenant weapons and then offering help to the Arbiter's forces. If she only found out about this plot, how do you think she would react to it? Would she defect and (as many people have thought that Master Chief has done the same) do her part to help set things right? I would love to see the return of Veronica Dare, especially if she became a dynamic character, similarly to how many view the Master Chief's situation in Halo 5 to be his realization that he shouldn't always follow orders. Maybe they're both starting to learn that just because you are given the order, doesn't mean its the right thing to do, nor something that you should do...

I just watched "The Return", as what you said got me curious. However, I'd like to clarify the point that the Prophets gave the Brutes new weapons in the form of improving their existing technology, as well as providing Power Armor to allow for the Brutes to be better protected. The battles depicted in the video take place after Halo 2 (with such genocidal raids against the Brutes continuing even after Halo 3). This doesn't make it any less credible of an idea that the Brutes can make their own instruments of war, however, especially since they can base many of the designs after those of the weapons they already have and those that they took during the Human-Covenant War e.g. the Shotguns and Rocket Launchers found in the Brutes' weapon caches toward the end of Halo 2.

In regard to how to fit the Brutes into the story, I think the Didact could convince the Storm Covenant that serve him and the remaining Brutes to unite for a common cause: the extermination of Humanity. As for their new weapons being made, the Covenant didn't make many of their weapons. I know they made the Brute Plasma Rifle and the Beam Rifle, but other than that, the Brutes used their own brutish, semi-primitive designs. As for Brute melee weapons, we already know that the Gravity Hammer will make a return, but I also know that (canonically) the Brutes were issued combat "knives", but a knife to a Brute is more like a machete to us...Here's a link for as to what they look like: http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100603213031/halo/images/3/37/Jiralhanae_Combat_Knife_02.jpg @kittens, the Brutes aren't quite as primitive as you may think. Before the Covenant assimilated them, they had already achieved space travel. The problem with Brutes is their violence to one another. Warring tribes pummeled each other into pre-industrial states and got rid of much of their technology in wars of attrition. In the warrior mentality of Brutes, the only technology worth keeping intact is apparently weaponry. An interesting fact is that before Tartarus (the Brute Chieftain in Halo 2) killed his uncle for the title and took the Fist of Rukt (ceremonial Gravity Hammer), his preferred weapon in melee combat was an unloaded Covenant Carbine... That's what he used to kill his uncle Maccaebus.

So, many people think that Brutes should return in Halo 5. I completely agree. They were fun enemies to fight and had some of the best weapons and vehicles. However, it struck me that the Brutes may have developed new weapons in the 4 years (or more, considering the time gap between Halo 4-5). So my question is: what kinds of weapons do you think the Brutes would need in Halo 5, and what weapons of old do you think should remain in their arsenal? I have a few ideas of my own as well. 1. A primitive medium-long range rifle (the Brutes need something like this of their own. Heavy damage per shot (not as much as a sniper, but more than a BR or DMR), but possibly has no scope. A blade under the stock (cool animation idea: knock enemy down, grab this rifle by the barrel, and slash the blade across the head or chest). Design-wise, imagine something similar to the Breechshot from Gears of War. 2. A replacement/improvement of the Spiker (more rifle-looking, large bayonet under the barrel, but fires the same kind of projectiles). Kinda treat it how the Plasma Rifle was made into the Storm Rifle. Design-wise, similar to Retro Lancer, also from GoW (I know it may seem like copying, but these kinds of weapons just scream Brute to me) 3. Keep the Brute Shot. It was great and fun to use (so much better than the lousy Concussion Rifle). Also keep the Mauler, as well as the Spike and Incendiary Grenades.

That task is easier said than done. For every weapon, they would need sound, all sorts of animations for running, jumping, hitting, reloading with it, etc... Then, they would need to balance it out for gameplay. Not all maps should be remade, because not all of them would work well with the additions of sprint and armor abilities. Also, 343i had about 4 years to make Halo 4 and it wasn't finished when it was released. Do you really think that they will be able to do all of this within the 2-3 years they are given to make Halo 5?

Perhaps that aspect was dropped by Bungie due to balancing issues after the BETA...

The button/stick layout is not the most pressing matter when developing a game. They introduced new things, like being able to sprint and use an armor ability, not to mention the addition of using ordinance. So of course the controls were going to change, and so depending on what they do next to the game mechanics.... well, that will be the deciding factor of whether or not the controls will remain the same.

In regard to the notion that Halo is their "ace-in-the-hole", I'd like to suggest you look at the population count of Halo 4 and how it compares to that of H3 and Reach's populations the same time after launch... If Halo 5 doesn't address the problems of Halo 4's multiplayer, then it won't carry as much of an influence as you and M$ think it will. There are starting to be several other games to compete with Halo, especially Bungie's new title 'Destiny'.

No offense to Elite, but -Legendary-, it takes more than thinking up a concept to be a part of the multiplayer development team for any game, especially Halo's. It takes being able to figure out every aspect of every item in the sandbox: actual model, controls, speed (not comparing to other vehicles, because those factors change in every iteration of the game, save for ODST), weaponry (fire rate, range, spread, overheat time, level of magnetism/aim assist), damage it can take and how it reacts to said damage (although Elite did address that), and actually knowing how to make the vehicle within the game engine... Not many people in the Halo community can do this, and I doubt that you know just how much the multiplayer team has to go through to make sure everything runs smoothly... Sorry if it seems that I've called you out specifically. I am really addressing all the comments that say that they could easily make a better Halo experience when they hardly know anything that goes into it, besides concepts of said additions (By the way, Elite, your concept is one of the few that actually considers some of the things other than just how a vehicle looks. Good job)

Not want to attract the CoD fanbase? That's what many of the additions to Halo 4's multiplayer were meant to do. Ordinance (synonymous to killstreaks/care packages), loadouts, hitmarkers, sprint, etc. If you dont want to play competitively, play on a social playlist. That way, if some "MLG player" starts an argument, you can just ask him why he's playing on social, rather than ranked. The dual playlist system of Halo2-3 was one of the factors that helped it stay populated for so long. Halo 4 basically only has social, and should have catered to both crowds, like ForgeMonitor said.

I can understand that once you've been able to sprint, it makes little sense to lose that ability. I suppose that's one thing that may need to remain as a game mechanic, although the way Halo has handled movement in the past had always seemed fine to me. It doesn't take away any of the competitive aspects to how the game should play, unlike ordinance or loadouts.

@-Legendary- "A mix of Invasion, dominion and extraction. I call it Invasion 2.0" Care to elaborate?

I think the majority of problems in this game stem from the lack of both a social playlist and ranked playlist, like Halo 3. I also have noticed that the gameplay in Reach and now 4 is not as enjoyed by players (according to the population statistics, that is). I believe this is due to many unnecessary additions to the winning Halo formula. Loadouts, Armor Abilities at spawn, personal ordinance that randomizes and destroys competitive play, the simple fact that players don't spawn on the same foot (same weapons, no plasma grenades, N00B combos, etc.). All these seem to attribute to the decline of the Halo 4 population. I've made this analogy in another forum and I'll use it again: With the original trilogy, Bungie made an amazing motorcycle from scratch. Then, in Reach, they decided to add a sidecar... When 343i took over, they decided that that sidecar should be a two-seater. There are too many additions that truly changed the way the game plays, and in my opinion, not for the better.

Although I admit it would look pretty cool, it's impractical. The energy sword is usually a one-hit-one-kill weapon as it is, therefore has no need whatsoever to be dual-wielded, unless it was with something like an SMG or pistol for longer-than-melee range. Another thing to consider: having two energy swords would take up most of the screen and so would hurt more than help whoever tried it. There's been a reason as to why Bungie and 343i never really had to consider it: it wouldn't do anything to help...

Why the once-per-match limit? Also, how long would you consider such a process of applying Armor Abilities "Ironman-style" to take? A lengthy animation of putting on an attachment may not be the best idea. It might even seem like a hassle to some players. It would certainly be a window of vulnerability. I must admit, 343i did their best while implementing ordinance, its simple and it works: you pick what you want, it drops down almost immediately, you pick it up. It just wasn't a good idea in regard to promoting competitive play... So, is anyone else going to repopulate Halo 3 on the weekend of Bungie Day 2013 (July 7th)? I'm certainly going to do my part in showing 343i that the ageless multiplayer experience of Halo, not to mention the kind of gameplay that was immensely popular and didn't see massive population drops months after release, has always been right in front of them. After all, there 's only one thing that Microsoft will listen to: numbers (usually money, but still).

You know, the more I think about it, the more I can't understand why 343i made the changes that they did in Halo 4. Halo: Reach started those changes, namely loadouts, and wasn't nearly as acclaimed as the previous games... So why did 343i continue those deviations from a winning formula and take the "innovations" to new heights (I say "innovations" because it wasn't really innovative, just concepts inspired by CoD). To me, a proper analog is that Bungie took an awesome motorcycle that they had built from scratch, then added a sidecar before selling it to 343i. 343i then decided that the sidecar needed to be a two-seater. It was unnecessary changes that, while had a few good aspects that can be used, tarnished the fluid and near-flawless (my opinion) gameplay mechanics with too much clutter.